Is Fia Johansson using Julia Wandelt? Psychic isolates woman from her family amid claim she's a fraud
This article is based on sources and MEAWW cannot verify this information independently
LONDON, ENGLAND: There are growing concerns that Julia Wandelt, the Polish woman claiming to be missing girl Madeleine McCann, is being isolated from her family and exploited for social media clout. Her mother is allegedly worried for her safety and hasn't been in contact with her for the last two days.
Julia, who has also been referred to as Julia Wendell and Julia Faustyna, went viral in late February after she documented her claim that she was the missing British girl who disappeared in Praia da Luz, Portugal in 2007 when she was three years old. While the authorities don't seem convinced, her claims received strong support from self-proclaimed private investigator and psychic medium Dr Fia Johansson, with whom she went live on Instagram on Friday, March 3. During the 24-minute Instagram live, Fia confirmed that Julia's Instagram account had been suspended and that the police had no open case regarding her claims. However, some are now wondering whether Fia is simply using Julia for social media traction.
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Concerns for Julia's safety and wellbeing
A number of social media sleuths expressed concern for Julia's safety on Sunday, March 5, alleging that she hadn't "been seen or spoken to" in the past 48 hours since Fia suggested she was "in danger." Some also claimed Julia's mother was desperately trying to get in touch with her.
"I have safety and well-being concerns for JULIA WANDELT (Faustyna Wendell) SHE HAS NOT BEEN SEEN OR SPOKEN TO IN 48 HOURS SINCE FIA JOHANSSONS SUGGESTION SHE WAS IN DANGER," Bekah Smith, who runs the page Exposing and Debunking, posted on Twitter. "I HAVE MADE CONTACT WITH POLISH AUTHORITIES TO URGE A WELFARE CHECK," she added.
"If you know where the whereabouts of Julia Faustyna and Fia the Persian medium please contact me or @itsbekahsmith or the Poland authorities," another sleuth wrote, adding, "They have been contacted and are looking for their whereabouts!! Julia has not been seen or heard from in the last 2 days by her mother after she made a call for help to a journalist & Fia called the journalist back and got upset at the journalist."
I have safety and well-being concerns for JULIA WANDELT (Faustyna Wendell) SHE HAS NOT BEEN SEEN OR SPOKEN TO IN 48 HOURS SINCE FIA JOHANSSONS SUGGESTION SHE WAS IN DANGER. I HAVE MADE CONTACT WITH POLISH AUTHORITIES TO URGE A WELFARE CHECK
— Exposing and Debunking (@Exposedndebunk) March 5, 2023
If you know where the whereabouts of Julia Faustyna and Fia the Persian medium please contact me or @itsbekahsmith or the Poland authorities. They have been contacted and are looking for their whereabouts!! Julia has not been seen or heard of in the last 2 days by her mother… https://t.co/a7xwM6P7Fu pic.twitter.com/UaulEoWRa6
— 💜SpazzBhabie🇺🇸🇺🇦💜 (@SpazzBhabie) March 5, 2023
However, there was some relief when Fia posted a video update on her Instagram showing Julia apparently shopping at an airport while teasing a "big" update. The duo appeared to be traveling somewhere out of Poland, but their planned destination was unclear at the time of publication.
While many wondered what the major update could be, the teaser only sparked a host of new questions. Some poked holes in Julia's story that she doesn't have a birth certificate or passport -- without which she would be unable to fly out of the country. "Julia Faustina the girl claiming she could be Madeline Madeleine McCann left Poland this morning, it’s not confirmed where she is going," one tweeted. "I personally thought she didn’t have a birth certificate or passport. Dr Fia Johansson said her birth certificate could be faked so isn’t it illegal for her to fly? Another strange twist to this story!"
Another said her mother was "very concerned" about her. "I am interested in finding out what their update is. Also, interested in knowing where they are traveling to," they wrote. "If she has no birth certificate, I don’t see how she can leave the country. Maybe they’ll give an update soon on where they are going? Julia’s mom was very concerned about her."
Julia Faustina the girl claiming she could be Madeline Madeleine McCann left Poland this morning, it’s not confirmed where she is going.
— Chris Chandler (@newswithchris) March 6, 2023
I personally thought she didn’t have a birth certificate or passport.
Dr Fia Johansson said her birth certificate could be faked so isn’t it… https://t.co/ycaf7gkWBU pic.twitter.com/0qMbDx9ipB
Is Fia Johansson using Julia Wandelt?
It's worth noting that Bekah, the owner of the Exposing and Debunking page, has made a series of allegations against Fia on her website, claiming she is a fraud. "Fia claims to be a Dr of psychology.. she is not," Bekah writes. "Fia does not hold a Ph.D. nor a doctorate. Her online CV states she holds a bachelor's degree in engineering. However, other places state it is in business. I guess whatever suits her marketing strategy." The internet sleuth noted that impersonating a doctor is a serious criminal offense, "especially so advertising your services as a dr of psychology online."
Bekah also claimed Fia is not a licensed private detective. "She posted a badge with a registered pi number. The badge was bought from Etsy and the number stated is registered to another business owner with no connection to Fia. This again is a criminal offense in the state of California where Fia resides," she wrote. The sleuth also accused the self-professed psychic of "parading Julia on her story like a circus animal" and isolating her "from the outside world, namely her birth mother," whom she described as an "innocent woman who has had her world ripped apart who has done nothing but try to support her daughter previously paying her psychiatric fees."